We’ve all been there; having a poor credit history or credit report errors that threaten to lock us out of financial opportunities. But how do you turn things around – what are the best credit repair services today?
Luckily for you, with this compilation, you can evade credit repair scammers and make great strides towards positive creditworthiness with these legitimate credit repair companies.
Evaluating some of the most popular credit fixing services in the USA currently, this article lists the top repair companies to conveniently and hastily help you bid bye to bad credit scores.
DISCLAIMER: Use these credit repair services of these companies responsibly, while checking their fees to see what’s affordable for you.
Best Credit Repair Services
1. Credit Saint – Best Credit Repair Service Overall
Pros:
Cons:
- $99 – $195 initial set-up fee
Ranked first by esteemed financial sites like Money, OBSERVER, Consumer Affairs, and more in matters of credit repair – it’s not a fluke that Credit Saint is the top credit fixing company.
But that’s not where the reputation ends, the firm has more than 20 years of experience in the credit repair industry. Plus, it has maintained an A+ rating Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating since 2007, thus you can trust their services.
Focusing on challenging inaccurate data that may be hurting your credit score, the credit repair company gives you a FREE personal consultation and proactively works with you to review your credit reports and identify questionable negative items there.
Afterward, Credit Saint disputes the items to creditors and all the major credit bureaus for removal. All the while advising you on how to take advantage of the positive records on your credit score and boost your creditworthiness.
The disputable items Credit Saint can handle include;
- Late payments
- Bankruptcies
- Credit inquiries
- Liens
- Repossessions
- Foreclosures
- Judgments
- Collections
All things considered, the best thing about Credit Saint might be actively keeping you informed; with this, you get a private online dashboard to keep you in the loop of how the disputes are progressing.
It’s also good that Credit Saint protects your trust with an impressive 90-day money-back guarantee, and you get tailored packages to choose from, so you can easily select one that fits your goals.
Credit repair packages summary;
- Clean Slate (Most thorough) – $119.99/month + $195.00 Initial work fee
- Credit Remodel (Thorough) – $99.99/month + $99.00 Initial work fee
- Credit Polish (Medium)- $79.99/month + $99.00 Initial work fee
We believe in Credit Saint’s ability to make a good case for you to creditors and creditor agencies, and even more, they seem to work pretty fast. But it’s not just us, here’s what a few clients had to say;
Andrea Mathew – “I worked with Ethan and he was an excellent resource! He was very helpful, thorough and knowledgeable. I feel very excited about my credit journey and look forward to seeing continued progress. Great customer service!”
Brent – “The process was quick and easy and the customer service was very helpful at answering all my questions.”
2. Experian – National Credit Bureau Credit Restoration Company
Pros:
- Free credit report
- 24/7 credit monitoring
- Identity theft services available
- Uses popular FICO score model
- Free 30-day trial
Cons:
Established in 1996, a globally recognized consumer credit reporting agency, and the largest of the three national Credit Reporting Agencies in the US – Experian’s reputation speaks for itself.
Taking a different approach to assisting you to repair your credit history, Experian actively teaches you and gives you tips on how to raise your FICO score.
Moreover, the company uses the FICO score 8 model, which is what 90% of lenders are said to use, hence you get a more accurate picture of what needs to be worked on.
A standout feature is Experian’s free Boost, which helps you increase your FICO score by connecting and taking advantage of your on-time payments, like your TV and streaming services subscriptions.
In fact, the credit repair company claims that clients using the FICO boost can raise their scores by an average of 13 points. Even so, you should know that not all creditors use information affected by the Experian Boost, but it’s worth consideration.
Along with the free consultation, Experian offers a good range of free credit services, like;
- Free credit report,
- Free FICO score
- Free 24/7 credit monitoring
Additionally, credit monitoring comes with alerts, so you can flag anything that might be negatively impacting your credit report early enough.
Worth noting is Experian’s identity theft protection services, which even include a free dark web scan to see if your personal information is being used for online fraud or other activities that might hurt your credit record.
All these are tied up by Experian’s credit score-improving education and financial tools, with the latter giving spending assessments and graphical insights to help you pick up and maintain healthy credit card habits.
Price summary;
- CreditWorks Basic – Free (Experian and FICO credit score)
- CreditWorks Premium – 7-Day Free trial then $24.99/month (reports and scores from the main credit bureaus)
Better yet, the site has tons of positive reviews to back them up and they include;
Sandra Raines – “Experience has helped me bring credit score up. When I first started with Experian, my score was so low low that it wouldn’t even register. My score is now in the upper six hundreds. Thank you Experian.”
Nicholas Goula – “Finally getting credit for making on time payments using my bank debit card and checking account!”
Experian’s national Credit Reporting Agency status plays a huge part in lending it legitimacy, and might also be the biggest reason why it’s so popular amongst people who want more of a “do-it-yourself” approach when raising their credit score.
3. Lexington Law – Most Reputable Credit Repair Company
Pros:
- Free consultation
- Personal financial assistance available
- No initial fees
- Identity theft services available
- Over 70 M removals done
Cons:
Having done over 70 million removals on credit reports since 2004, and with more than 520,000 active clients right now, Lexington Law stands as one of the most experienced credit repair companies in the US.
The company says they ‘know the law’, and this is supported by the fact that credit consultations are said to be led by a team of shrewd lawyers and attorneys.
Suffice to say, you’ll be getting some of the most well-informed credit advice here.
Lexington operates on a 3-step approach to help you transform that fair or bad credit score into a good one, the steps include;
- Setup and discovery: They review and point out questionable items that might be wrongfully impacting your credit score while drawing reference to the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the statute of limitations for any inconsistencies by the creditor or credit bureau.
- Challenge and dispute: Raise questions to creditors and all three major credit bureaus
- Manage and monitor: They address any new issues and alert you using calls and emails
Additionally, the credit report consultation is free, and you also get a free credit score, a free credit report summary, and a free credit repair recommendation.
We find it really helpful that Lexington Law can also give you a break from creditor harassment letters and calls by sending cease and desist letters while they work on removing negative items from your credit report.
Along with this, you can also access identity protection and personal finance tools to help you in things like budgeting and tracking spending to build up your credit score. However, these services are only accessible with the higher packages.
Lexington Law’s packages are personalized to fit different client needs and budgets, so you can find the most fitting one. The three credit repair packages include;
- Concord Standard: $89.85/month (Bureau Challenges and Creditor interventions)
- Concord Premier: $109.95/month (Everything Concord Standard + Score analysis, Alerts, TransUnion Monitoring, Inquiry assist)
- Concord Plus: $129.95/month (Everything Concord Premier + Cease and desist letters, FICO score tracker, identity protection, personal finance tools)
In a word, Lexington Law is one of the fastest and most effective credit repair companies, and judging from the user reviews, clients genuinely seem to be impressed with their credit services.
Here are a few reviews we sampled;
Jennifer Riggleman – “Lexington Law took the headache away when dealing with correcting mistakes on my credit score. From the beginning until now I have had support and updates every step of the way…”
Toni Montemayor – “Lexington Law has been good to me. I’ve been late on paying my monthly fee yet they never stopped working to help me repair my credit. Thank you”
4. The Credit People – Best Satisfaction Guarantee
Pros:
- 6-month satisfaction guarantee
- Cost-effective flat rate
- Unlimited disputes
- Free credit report consultation
Cons:
- Limited credit repair packages
Another old-timer credit repair service with about 20 years in the credit repair industry, The Credit People further cement their reputation with glowing features in financial magazines; The Wall Street Journal, Smart Money, USA Today, Consumer Affairs, to mention a few.
Dedicated to improving your credit reports and increasing your credit scores, The Credit People promise that you’ll start seeing results in just 60 days.
The company as well estimates that you’ll be able to raise your credit scores by 53-187 points and possibly elevate you to a good or even excellent FICO score.
The best thing about The Credit People is they appear to be really intensive, as they dispute inconsistencies in your credit report from all three credit bureaus; Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
The credit report consultation and credit scores are free.
What’s more, like Credit Saint does, you’ll always be informed of your credit repair progress with the help of a 24/7 online dashboard.
On top of that – if you choose The Credit Report’s flat fee plan, you possibly get the best satisfaction guarantee in the shape of a whole 6-month satisfaction assurance to back up your investment.
The company only offers two plans, but they are really competitively priced if you compare to what many other credit repair companies charge.
Price summary;
- Monthly Membership – $79/monthly + $19 setup charge
- Flat Rate – $419
The Credit People’s extensive credit fixing services and affordability are the main reasons why it makes it into our top credit score boosting companies.
Even more, here’s what two customers thought;
Jeff G – “They got rid of medical collections and a lot of late pays. Was worried about going with a low price service, but the results couldn’t of been better. I recommend them to my friends”
Becky Z – “I just completed my repair service with the credit people. Great customer service and amazing results”
5. CreditRepair – Free Report Analysis
Pros:
- Free credit score analysis
- TransUnion credit monitoring
- Wide financial tools
- Flexible package options
Cons:
- No satisfaction guarantee
Going a step ahead of giving you a free credit score consultation, CreditRepair also provides a free thorough credit report analysis and a free tailored solution recommendation depending on the inaccuracies on your credit reports.
Furthermore, the credit repair company boasts good numbers, racking up over 23 million challenges and disputes, and having seen more than 7.5 million removals since it launched in 2012.
Other than only contesting incorrect items in your credit report to creditors and major credit bureaus, this credit fixer also delivers extensive financial education resources.
Plus, it offers 24/7 credit monitoring services with timely updates on your repair process.
After the free credit consultation, you can pick the right option for your budget and credit building goals from three flexible service packages;
- Direct – $69.95/monthly + $69.95 initial fee (15 challenges a month, monthly creditor dispute, inquiry help, goodwill action, and quarterly credit score updates)
- Standard – $99.95/monthly + $99.95 initial fee (Everything Direct package + FICO score inquiry help, hard inquiry challenges, quarterly credit score analysis, and 24/7 credit monitoring)
- Advanced – $119.95/monthly + $119.95 initial fee (Everything Standard package + Six-month creditor disputes, cease and desist action, identity theft protection, personal financial tools, 19 challenges a month, and monthly credit score updates)
CreditRepair doesn’t have a satisfaction guarantee, but if their popularity and efficiency are anything to go by, then they are a great credit repair firm.
Here’s what a couple of customers say;
Terrie Williams – “After my divorce, my credit took a beating. Even with me doing all I knew to do I just couldn’t get it where I knew it should be. I contacted Credit Repair.com and they were so kind, respectful, knowledgeable, and helpful. Within a month things started moving forward and upward!”
Troy Woolard – “This company is very professional and very well-mannered. I recommend them to anyone who needs help with your credit”
If you want to start your credit repair process without making a commitment, CreditRepair makes for a nice choice, and we like them for that. Even more, they have a good mobile app to get information about your credit on the go.
6. Ovation – Very Personalized Credit Repair Company
Pros:
- Fast-track service available
- One-on-one services
- Great discount programs
- In-depth credit education tools
Cons:
- Relatively new
- No mobile app
On the surface, Ovation might be relatively new to the credit repair business, but on matters resolving your credit score issues, it’s one of the best, even going ahead to get accredited by the BBB, with an A+ rating.
Ovation takes a keen interest in giving you personalized Ovation credit services.
Plus, the credit restoration service starts your credit score improvement process with a free consultation from a professional credit analyst to review your credit scores and suggest a tailored repair plan for you.
Afterward, you get one-on-one access to a team of advisors and a personal case manager to contest misleading items on your credit reports, update you through the whole process, and even educate you on other ways you could improve your credit standing.
Even better, credit education goes beyond the personal case manager, as there are also comprehensive credit education and financial management tools that you could take advantage of.
Only, Ovation doesn’t have a mobile app yet to allow for more convenient access to your advisors. Nonetheless, you get a private dashboard on their 24/7 personal care management website for regular updates.
Ovation is accessible in two credit repair packages;
- Essential Plan: $79/monthly + $89 setup fee (Free consultation, personalized dispute options, financial management tools, and a personal case advisor)
- Essential Plus Plan: $109/month + $89 setup fee (Everything Essential Plan + official Ovation recommendation letter, unlimited disputes, goodwill letters to creditors, and TransUnion credit monitoring)
Above all, customers appear to be really happy about the tailored Ovation credit services and pleasant customer support. Selecting a few reviews pointing to the most common perks, here are what clients said;
James Rice – “This was a very easy and great experience. And the process is very easy to get through without any help! The help is a bonus if it’s required”
Tabitha Lenox – “Ovation credit services helped me take my credit score from 500s to 720s within 2 years. I was able to get responsible business loans and grow my personal and business credit trustworthiness…
For us, Ovation also makes quite a cost-effective credit repair company, moreover, they have good discount programs, especially for families striving towards financial well-being.
7. Sky Blue – Great Value Credit Repair Company
Pros:
- Advanced analysis
- Couple discount
- Quality customer support
- 90-day money-back guarantee
Cons:
- No credit monitoring
- No financial tools
Want to improve your credit situation but are on somewhat a budget? Sky Blue Credit does a great job balancing value and price, and they’ve been doing it since 1989!
For one, the credit repair service covers credit report disputes faster than many competitors; in cycles of 15 items every 35 days, saving you more in monthly fees than you would get with many credit repair companies that take 40-60 days.
On another angle, the credit score analysis looks to be advanced, noticing even items that would usually go unidentified, therefore increasing your chances of raising your credit score.
Following the market trend, Sky Blue Credit gives a free credit score consultation for tailored advice. Apart from that, they can also give you a break from debtors by sending cease and desist letters, and improve your credit standing to creditors with goodwill letters.
The only big downside is that the credit repair service doesn’t really have financial tools, but they atone for that with their extensive education center.
Here you can learn how to recover from financial instability, how to deal with collectors, how to manage your credit card balances, and more.
Sky Blue Credit offers an affordable single unique package broken down as;
- $79 fee after 6 days of signing up
- $79 monthly fee after 30 days
In addition, there’s a couple’s discount that goes for $119 a month, and everything is covered with a 90-day guarantee in the unfortunate case there is no improvement to your credit score.
Sky Blue Credit makes our list for its ability to provide value with fast repair services, and for its responsive customer support who will handle any query you might have when using their services.
The Financial Benefits of Fixing Your Credit Score
There are a lot of ways that a good credit score could help you access better financial opportunities and even save money while at it.
Here are the most common financial benefits of fixing your credit score;
Lower Interest Rates
Basically, your credit score tells creditors how good, or on the other hand, how bad – you are at making payments on time.
With a not so appealing credit score, financial institutions like banks will see you as high risk and set high interest rates on your loans.
By fixing your credit score any loans you take are expected to attract lower interest rates, as a result saving you money.
Higher Approval Rates
Banks and creditors, in general, lose a lot of money every year in bad debts and unhonored loan contracts, hence why people with low FICO scores are most likely to be denied loans.
By repairing your credit score and raising it into a high one, you have a better chance of getting that loan since you’re able to tell creditors that ‘I’m good with payments, and you can trust me with your money.
Higher Borrowing Capacity
Having a positive credit score is really helpful for people that want to take bigger loans.
By virtue of having a positive credit score, more creditors are able to trust you with their money, hence giving you the opportunity to take bigger loans from banks or get higher credit limits from credit card companies.
More Affordable Insurance
Like creditors, insurance companies check your credit reports to determine the risk of covering you.
Often, people with negative credit scores are suggested to more likely have expensive claims, so insurance companies will charge higher premiums for them.
However, you can try to avoid this by repairing your credit record.
Better Rental Approval
Is there a nice apartment you desire to rent?
The landlord will most probably inspect your credit reports to gauge if you’re good with rent.
Therefore, if you have a decent credit score, the chances of the landlord picking you are much higher.
Higher Chance of Gaining Employment
During employee background checks, employers may go ahead to review your credit reports. And even though you might have the relevant skills for the job, it may not necessarily take you over the line if an employer finds ‘red flags’ on your credit reports.
The bottom line – fixing your credit score may increase your employability to potential employers.
Hiring a Credit Repair Agency vs. Doing It Yourself
While it’s possible that you can work towards repairing your credit yourself, in most cases the process might be overwhelming, may end up taking a long-time, and could get expensive if you lack the proper knowledge.
A credit repair agency takes the edge off building your credit score on your own by offering these perks;
Years of Experience
The majority of credit repair agencies have been around for more than 10 years.
And over time, these agencies have developed a good grasp of how to maneuver creditors and the three major credit bureaus when contesting inaccurate credit reports.
This alone gives them an upper hand overdoing it on your own, and potentially hurting the chances you might have had of improving your credit score.
Save Time
There’s only so much an individual can do at a time when trying to fix their credit issues.
Contrastingly, a credit repair agency can help save time off the process by dividing the workload among its professional team of credit score analysts, credit advisors, company liaisons, and more to allow for a faster process.
Save Money
Credit repair agencies usually offer a one in all package.
Things like consultations, credit score analysis, and recommendations on how to turn around your credit score. Since you might not be well-versed in this process, you may end up getting separate credit score consultation services from different professionals, and this can get really pricey.
Valuable Resources
The most valuable resource credit agencies have are their credit repair experts who can masterly dispute credit report issues on your behalf.
But even more, they can also send goodwill or cease and desist letters to creditors and debtors respectively, to allow for a smoother credit repair process.
Reputable Credit Repair Companies: FAQs
How Do Credit Repair Companies Fix Your Credit?
Credit repair companies work by challenging negative items on your report to creditors and credit bureaus.
The pattern usually follows the sequence of them reviewing your credit record, identifying possible inaccurate items, and challenging creditors and the credit bureau to justify the items.
In the case that creditors can’t justify their actions, the items are removed from your report and your credit score resultantly improves.
How Fast Can You Get Your Credit Repaired?
Your credit score can begin improving in as fast as 30 days, especially if you only have a handful of issues on your report.
Still, with many good credit repair companies, it will take anywhere between 1 – 6 months to give you significant improvement on your credit score and record depending on how much work was needed on your credit report.
Can Credit Repair Help With Identity Theft?
Yes, credit repair companies can help with identity theft.
Among the best at identity theft protection are Experian and Lexington Law.
Experian even offers dark web monitoring to check if your personal information is being used for illegal activities like fraud, complemented by alerts in case of anything suspicious.
What Is the Average Cost of Credit Repair?
The majority of credit repair companies charge a monthly subscription that ranges from about $69 – $138 a month, with some charging an initial work or setup fee.
Depending on the disputes they have to do, a credit repair may take a couple of months, and may typically in total cost $414 on the lower end or $828 or more on the higher end.
What Are the Signs To Avoid Credit Repair Scam?
Since most people reach out to credit repair firms online, there’s a risk of falling into a credit repair scam, but here’s how you can notice them and avoid falling prey;
They Overpromise
Be wary of credit repair services that promise to remove all or any negative items on your reports.
Removals are not guaranteed, especially if they are legitimate, but the top credit repair companies do their best to single out misleading items for contention and potential removal.
Upfront Payments
The Credit Repair Organizations Act prohibits any credit repair service from taking fees in advance of service, thus you should be very wary of credit fixing firms that demand for an unlawful upfront payment and go for credit repair companies that show their capability first before actually seeking payment from you.
Stiff Contracts
The most legitimate credit repair companies provide a stress-free cancellation of the contract in case you’re not satisfied or if you just opt.
The situation is different from credit repair scams, which might want to tie you down to a rigid contract while charging fees – even with no results.
No Guarantee or Refund
A guarantee or refund is a legitimate credit repair company’s language of telling you that they’re confident in helping you out and that they will refund your money if they don’t deliver.
For credit repair scams, they might not have any sort of guarantee or refund.
What Is a Good FICO Score?
A good FICO score ranges from 670 to 739. With a FICO score ranging between these numbers you can be highly considered by lenders for higher loans, and bigger loan terms. Those above the 739 points can be considered excellent and hold the most appeal amongst lenders.
What’s the Best Credit Repair Service?
There’s so much that a favorable credit history can do, and with these legitimate credit repair services you can conveniently and efficiently clean up your credit record and even learn healthier financial habits.
Even though these credit repair organizations work towards the same goal, each one is unique in its own way, so pick the best-suited one for yourself.
On the whole, we find Credit Saint to be the best credit repair company for all. The company has maintained an A+ BBB rating, conducts thorough report analysis, provides timely updates, and has high success rates.
Nevertheless, Experian and Lexington Law come close to other popular reputable credit repair agencies, and they even offer identity theft services.
To complement your credit repair, you can also proactively utilize the credit education and financial management tools that these top credit score repair companies offer.
DISCLAIMER: Use these credit repair services of these companies responsibly, while checking their fees to see what’s affordable for you.
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